HOW  I BECAME 


A 


HOMEOPATH. 


By  william  H.  HOLCOMBE,  M.D., 


PHILADELPHIA: 
BOERICKE  & TAFEL. 


Entered,  according  to  Act  of  Congress,  in  the  year  1866,  by 
C.  S.  HALSEY, 

in  the  Clerk’s  Office  of  the  District  Court  of  the  United  States,  for  the  Northern  District  of 

Illinois. 


J.  FAGAN  k SON, 
STEREOTYPE  FOUNDERS, 
PHn,ADEIJ>HIA. 


ck  ^ k 5 jifjt 


^ ^5",  5"  3 

H - 

-O  yo  ^ 


HOW  I BECAME  A HOMCEOPATH? 


^ TAM  the  son  of  a doctor.  I was  born  and  bred  in  a medical 

^ atmosphere.  My  father’s  office  was  a favorite  place  for 

/.o  my  games  when  a little  boy,  and  for  my  reading  and  study 

when  a youth.  The  imposing  shelves  of  portly  volumes,  the 
big  jars  of  hideous  specimens  preserved  in  alcohol,  the  pervad- 
ing odors  of  paregoric  and  lavender,  the  bloody-looking  map 
of  the  great  sympathetic  ” on  the  wall,  the  long  white  skeleton 
grinning  in  the  closet,  and  the  mysterious  box,  containing  the 
detached  bones  of  a baby’s  skull,  made  a strong  impression  on 
ray  childish  imagination.  The  old  brown  saddle-bags,  with 
their  incredible  stores  of  vials  and  packages  and  pill-boxes, 
excited  my  special  admiration.  Physicians  were,  in  my  opinion, 
the  wisest  and  greatest  and  best  of  mankind.  I saw  the  whole 
faculty  through  the  venerated  form  and  character  of  my  good 
father.  We  differ  as  much  from  our  own  selves  at  different 
times  as  we  do  from  each  other.  I have  lived  to  question  and 
scout  the  old  oracles  — to  abandon  the  intensely  respectable  ” 
path  of  routine  — to  discover  in  the  old  brown  saddle-bags  a 
Pandora’s  box  of  evils,  and  to  see  how  much  ignorance  and 
mischief  are  sometimes  concealed  and  consecrated  by  a medical 
diploma ! 

My  father  gave  me  his  name,  and  I coveted  his  profession. 
In  that  happy  period  of  boyhood  when  our  stick-horses  are 
as  real  as  grown  men’s  hobbies,  I played  the  little  doctor,  and 
galloped  from  tree  to  tree  and  from  post  to  post  visiting  my 
imaginary  patients.  Before  I was  fifteen  I had  read  Doctor 
Rush’s  half-literary,  half-scientific.  Introductory  Lectures,  and 
was  eager  to  precipitate  myself  into  the  vortex  of  professional 

3 


75! 


4 


HOW  I BECAME  A HOMCEOPATH. 


study.  The  child  is  father  of  the  man.  But  I was  wisely  held 
to  a long  course  of  academic  preparation.  Still  my  penchant 
for  medicine  appeared  in  every  thing.  I applied  my  earliest 
Latin  and  Greek  to  analyzing  the  medical  terms  in  old  Hooper’s 
Dictionary  ; I acquired  the  Natural  Sciences,  as  mere  stepping- 
stones  to  the  Vital;  I studied  French,  not  for  ‘^Gil  Bias”  or 
“ Corinne,”  but  for  Milne  Edwards’  Zoology ; and  in  my  bo- 
tanical lessons,  although  there  were  ladies  in  the  class,  I had  an 
eye  rather  to  the  properties  of  drugs  than  to  the  poetry  of 
flowers. 

My  father  was  a Virginia  gentleman  of  the  old  school,  con- 
servative in  all  his  principles.  The  associates  of  his  forty  years’ 
career  will  testify  to  the  deep-rooted,  thorough-going  honesty 
of  his  nature,  and  to  the  chastity  of  his  professional  honor. 
Pie  had  been  a private  pupil  of  the  celebrated  Doctor  Chapman, 
and  he  committed  me  in  due  time,  with  great  pride  and  confi- 
dence, to  the  fostering  care  of  the  old  University  of  Pennsyl- 
vania. So  I followed  my  father’s  footsteps,  walked  the  hos- 
pitals, frequented  the  dissecting  room,  took  notes  on  the  lectures, 
and  graduated  at  that  excellent  institution.  I returned  home 
full  of  Ves'prii  du  corps,  devoted  to  my  professors,  proud  of  my 
diploma,  and  crammed  full  of  principles  which  I was  ready  to 
put  into  practice,  at  the  pecuniary  and  physical  expense  of  my 
patrons. 

I am  not  writing  an  autobiography.  These  personal  details 
would  be  out  of  place,  did  they  not  furnish  a kind  of  psycho- 
logical key  to  something  that  follows.  I am  about  to  portray 
the  struggles  of  an  ardent  and  inquiring  mind,  whilst  emanci- 
pating itself  from  the  bondage  of  authority,  and  emerging  into 
the  light  and  liberty  of  truth.  My  experience  is  typical. 
Every  man,  physician  or  layman,  who  ignores,  misrepresents, 
ridicules  and  despises  Homoeopathy  and  Homoeopathic  phy- 
sicians, as  I did,  does  so  from  similar  causes  or  motives.  The 
traditions  of  the  past,  the  teachings  of  masters,  the  example 
of  friends,  the  power  of  custom  and  fashion,  the  opinions  of 
society,  weigh  like  an  incubus  upon  us  all,  and  take  away  not 
only  the  means,  but  the  will  to  investigate  a new  truth  from  an 


HOW  I BECAME  A HOMCEOPATH. 


6 


independent  standpoint.  These  vast  powers,  which  retard  the 
progress  of  mankind,  press  upon  us  like  the  atmosphere,  invisi- 
bly and  unfelt.  We  are  not  conscious  how  blind  and  feeble, 
how  ignorant  and  prejudiced  and  silly  we  are.  There  is  folly 
which  thinks  itself  wise,  and  ignorance  which  struts  in  the  garb 
of  knowledge.  The  rulers,  the  doctors,  the  chief  priests  and 
Pharisees  of  human  thought  and  fashion,  who  hold  the  high 
places  and  the  fat  offices  of  the  world,  never  recognize  the 
genius  of  Galileos,  and  Harveys,  and  Jenners,  and  Fultons, 
and  Hahnemanns,  until  their  doctrines  have  triumphed  by  their 
own  merits  — until  they  have  risen,  like  the  sun,  high  into  the 
heavens,  dispersing  the  deep  mists  of  error  and  prejudice  which 
at  first  concealed  them  from  sight. 

I heard  of  Homoeopathy,  at  Philadelphia,  as  all  medical 
students  hear  of  it.  One  professor,  with  a show  of  philosophic 
bearing,  gave  it  a mock  analysis,  and  dissipated  it  into  thin  air, 
as  flippantly  as  an  infidel  of  nineteen  years  discards  the  Chris- 
tian religion.  Another,  whose  private  practice  it  had  probably 
injured,  denounced  it  bitterly,  as  an  atrocious  imposition  upon 
the  credulity  of  mankind.  A third  took  a good-natured,  jocose 
view  of  the  whole  affair,  and  laughed  (all  the  students  laughing 
in  echo)  at  infinitesimals  as  transcendental  medicinal  moon- 
shine. They  all  agreed  that  Homoeopathy  was  one  of  those 
evanescent  forms  of  medical  opinion,  like  Brunonism  and 
Broussaisism,  and  Perkinism  and  Mesmerism,  destined  to  have 
its  day,  and  to  vanish  some  morning,  like  an  ignis  fatuus,  from 
the  eyes  of  its  deluded  followers.  They  predicted  its  speedy 
death  and  final  extinction.  Of  course  I believed  every  word 
they  said.  I was  not  expected  or  taught  to  seek  for  truth,  but 
to  receive  what  my  masters  imposed  on  me  as  truth.  They 
dogmatized  — I accepted.  I entered  in  one  page  of  my  note- 
book, “ Ipecac  — emetic ; ” in  another,  Homoeopathy  — hum- 
bug.” 

So  I passed  out  into  the  great  world  of  action  — bigoted, 
conceited,  and  ignorant  of  what  was  most  worth  knowing. 
The  new  dawn  was  breaking  all  around  me,  but  I did  not  see 
it.  The  grand  reform  was  springing  up  everywhere,  but  I 


6 


now  I BECAME  A HOMCEOPATH. 


did  not  know  it.  Scores  of  intelligent  physicians  were  adopt- 
ing the  new  practice;  thousands  of  intelligent  families  were 
becoming  its  adherents;  books  were  being  printed,  journals 
established,  colleges  founded;  a great  school  of  thought  was 
growing  up  about  me,  as  every  genuine  truth  always  grows, 
slowly  but  surely,  — and  of  all  this  I had  no  living  conception, 

— it  was  all  as  unreal  to  me  as  the  angel  presences  which  are 
said  to  throng  invisibly  our  earthly  career.  I was  like  some 
old  mariner,  who  still  hugged  closely  the  barren  shores  of  tra- 
dition, whilst  others,  armed  with  the  magnetic  needle,  explored 
boldly  the  ocean  of  truth.  I was  like  some  young  Greek  dis- 
ciple, just  emerging  from  the  Athenian  portico,  glorying  in 
the  wisdom  of  the  ancient  philosophies,  and  laughing  to  scorn 
the  rambling  Peters  and  Pauls,  who  preached  in  the  market 
places  a new  doctrine,  destined  to  silence  the  Pagan  oracles  and 
to  revolutionize  the  world. 

It  was  fortunate  for  me  that  I entered  on  my  profession  in 
partnership  with  my  father,  who  was  then  enjoying  a large 
practice  in  one  of  our  Western  cities.  It  not  only  gave  me  fine 
opportunities  for  observation,  at  a period  when  most  young 
physicians  are  waiting  for  business,  but  it  threw  me  into  daily 
and  most  instructive  contact  with  a richly  stored,  sagacious, 
cautious,  and  practical  mind.  Experience  with  many  physi- 
cians is  merely  a routine  repetition  of  errors ; with  my  father 
it  was  a steady  advance  toward  the  truth.  His  skepticism  was 
continually  chilling  my  enthusiasm.  He  was  coldly  empiric 

— disdaining  speculations  and  distrusting  all  authorities.  I 
thought  we  had  twenty  specifics  for  every  disease ; he  knew  we 
had  twenty  diseases  without  a single  specific.  I thought  that 
doctors  were  ministering  angels,  bestowing  health  and  blessings 
around  them ; he  knew  that  they  were  blind  men,  striking  in 
the  dark  at  the  disease  or  the  patient  — lucky  if  they  killed 
the  malady,  and  not  the  man.  I thought  that  medicine  was 
one  of  the  fixed  sciences,  true  in  theory  and  certain  in  practice ; 
he  had  discovered  the  wisdom,  as  well  as  the  wit,  of  Voltaire’s 
famous  definition  — the  art  of  amusing  the  patient  whilst 
nature  cures  the  disease ! ” 


HOW  I BECAME  A HOMCEOPATH. 


7 


I had  passed  a year  or  two  in  active  practice,  learning  to 
think  under  my  father’s  supervision,  (receiving  thought  from 
others  and  thinking  for  ourselves  are  very  different  things,) 
when  I came  suddenly  into  contact  with  what  I regarded  as 
the  most  gigantic  humbug  of  the  day  — Homoeopathy.  It  was 
in  this  manner : I was  called  out  one  cold  winter  night  to  a 
fine,  plump  little  boy,  suffering  with  the  worst  form  of  mem- 
branous croup.  I gave  him  an  emetic : he  grew  worse.  I put 
him  in  a hot  bath  : he  became  hoarser  and  hoarser.  I repeated 
the  emetic  and  the  bath,  with  no  beneficial  result.  His  diffi- 
culty of  breathing  became  frightful.  He  then  sank  into  a 
stupid  state,  with  hot  head  and  dilated  pupils.  I became 
alarmed.  I saw  that  unless  a speedy  change  could  be  induced, 
death  was  inevitable.  I determined  to  bleed  him,  to  relieve 
his  congested  brain,  and  then  trust  his  fate  to  broken  doses  of 
calomel. 

When  I announced  my  sanguinary  intention,  the  poor  mother 
burst  into  a violent  paroxysm  of  weeping,  mingled  with  ex- 
clamations that  her  child  should  never  be  bled.  I remon- 
strated ; I explained  the  case  — I entreated ; but  all  to  no 
purpose.  She  exclaimed  wildly,  clasping  the  little  fellow  to 
her  heart,  The  blood  is  the  life  — it  shall  not  be  taken  away ! ” 
The  husband  took  me  into  another  room,  and  told  me  that  his 
wife  had  once  been  insane,  after  the  death  of  a child,  and  was 
confined  for  months  in  a lunatic  asylum.  He  said  he  dare  not 
thwart  her  will  in  so  important  and  delicate  a matter  — that 
the  child  must  not  be  bled.  He  urged  me  to  do  something 
else  — to  do  anything  to  save  his  child ; but  that  I must  not, 
should  not  bleed  it.  I explained  to  him,  candidly,  and  with 
some  display  of  professional  dignity,  that  my  opinion  was  worth 
more  than  his  or  his  wife’s ; that  there  was  no  hope  for  his 
' child  but  in  blood-letting  and  calomel,  and  that  I would  not 
retain  the  responsibility  of  a case  in  which  I was  not  permit- 
ted to  dictate  the  treatment.  The  upshot  of  it  was  that  I was 
dismissed,  not  at  all  sorry  that  I had  escaped  the  charge  of  a 
death  which  I deemed  inevitable.  The  angel  of  Life  must 
have  clapped  his  hands  for  joy  as  I receded  from  the  door. 


8 


HOW  I BECAME  A HOMCEOPATH. 


The  next  day  I expected  to  hear  of  the  death  of  my  little 
patient,  but  no  such  rumor  reached  my  ear.  The  morning 
after  I looked  in  the  daily  papers  for  a general  invitation  to  his 
funeral,  but  no  obituary  was  to  be  found.  I was  puzzled. 
What  doctor,  capable  of  saving  life  under  such  circumstances, 
could  have  been  called  in  after  I left  ? How  I envied  him  his 
knowledge  or  his  good  luck  ! Imagine  my  amazement  when  I 
saw  the  child  playing  in  his  father^s  yard  about  the  middle  of 
the  day ! My  curiosity  was  piqued,  and  became  too  strong  for 
my  professional  hauteur.  I determined  to  know  who  my  skil- 
ful successor  in  the  case  was.  I rang  the  bell,  asked  for  the 
lady  of  the  house,  and  with  some  little  embarrassment  made 
my  inquiries.  I was  informed  that  a Homoeopathic  physician 
had  been  summoned ; that  he  put  a towel,  wrung  out  of  cold 
water,  around  the  child’s  neck,  and  some  little  sugar  pellets  on 
his  tongue.  The  pellets  were  repeated  every  fifteen  minutes 
until  the  breathing  became  easy,  the  cough  loose,  and  the 
patient  roused  up,  from  which  time  the  convalescence  was  rapid. 

A sensible  mechanic,  who  discovered  that  another  mechanic 
executed  some  piece  of  work  more  rapidly,  perfectly,  durably 
and  scientifically  than  himself,  would  be  anxious  to  see  how  the 
new  principles  had  been  put  into  practice.  In  this  case  one 
would  suppose  that  I said  to  myself,  This  is  very  remark- 
able. I will  see  this  new  doctor ; I will  learn  what  he  gave 
this  child,  and  why  he  gave  it.  We  will  at  least  amicably  ex- 
change ideas ; I may  learn  something  useful  to  myself  and 
others.”  That  would  have  been  common  sense,  but  it  would 
not  have  been  Allopathic  sense.  That  is  what  any  sane  man, 
who  really  enjoyed  perfect  freedom  of  thought  and  action, 
would  have  done ; but  I was  bound  hand  and  foot  by  the  in- 
visible but  powerful  trammels  of  education,  prejudice,  interest, 
fashion  and  habit.  I derided  the  treatment  as  the  climax  of 
folly,  and  had  the  effrontery  to  claim  that  the  child  was  cured 
by  my  remedies,  which  began  to  act  after  I left.  The  lady  dis- 
sented from  this  opinion,  and  was  evidently  a convert  to  Homoe- 
opathy. My  suspicion  that  the  new  system  was  a disgraceful 
imposture  now  became  a conviction,  and  not  long  after  I 


HOW  I BECAME  A HOMCEOPATH. 


9 


refused  to  be  introduced  to  the  worthy  gentleman  who  had 
saved  my  patient. 

This  Doctor  Bianchini,  who  incurred  my  juvenile  contempt, 
was  a respectable  graduate  of  the  University  of  Genoa,  vener-  < 
able  for  his  age  and  his  experience.  Seventeen  years  afterwards 
I met  him  under  more  agreeable  circumstances.  I had  learned 
his  secret  of  curing  croup,  and  had  employed  it  in  hundreds  of 
cases  without  a single  failure.  Of  course  we  saw  each  other  in 
a different  and  better  light,  and  we  laughed  together  at  my 
harmless  Allopathic  pomposity.  Our  meeting  reminded  me  of 
the  two  Welshmen  who  were  travelling  at  daybreak  on  one 
of  the  wild  mountains  of  their  country.  When  they  first  des- 
cried each  other  their  figures  loomed  up  so  vastly  and  grotesquely 
through  the  sea  of  vapor,  that  each  exclaimed  to  himself,  What 
a monster  approaches ! ’’  As  they  came  nearer  together  each 
discovered  that  the  other  bore  the  human  shape,  although 
strangely  distorted  by  the  dim  mists  of  the  morning.  When 
they  got  face  to  face,  behold,  they  were  brothers!  Just  such 
mists  and  vapors  are  all  the  creeds,  and  institutions,  and  con- 
ventionalities that  separate  man  from  man  ! 

On  reviewing  the  state  of  my  mind  at  that  period,  and  asking 
myself  wonderingly  why  such  a striking  Homoeopathic  cure 
should  have  made  no  impression  whatever  on  my  thinking 
faculties,  I remember  that  I was  laboring  under  two  great 
delusions  respecting  Homoeopathy,  which  prevented  it  from 
obtaining  the  least  foothold  on  my  faith.  I was  bitter  because 
I was  ignorant,  as  some  animals  are  said  to  be  fiercest  in  the 
dark. 

In  the  first  place,  I regarded  Homoeopathy  as  a doctrinal 
monstrosity,  and  its  practitioners  as  uneducated  impostors.  ^ 
True,  I had  never  read  a single  book  or  journal  of  the  New 
School.  I had  never  conversed  with  one  of  its  physicians.  I 
knew  positively  nothing  about  the  whole  matter,  as  is  the  case 
to-day  with  nine-tenths  of  the  Allopathic  physicians  in  the 
United  States;  my  ignorance  was  the  cause  and  measure  of  my 
intolerance.  The  ‘‘London  Lancet,’^  the  mighty  Hector  of  the 
orthodox  hosts,  was  my  oracle.  I took  everything  at  second- 


10  HOW  I BECAME  A HOMCEOPATH. 

hand  — I saw  everything,  like  the  Welshmen,  througn  a rolling 
sea  of  vapor. 

I needed  some  judicious,  intelligent  friend  to  show  me  what 
I now  see  so  clearly  — that  Homoeopathy  is  the  crowning  piece, 
the  cap-stone  of  medical  science;  that  it  begins  only  where 
Allopathy  ends.  It  is  a grand  philosophic  reform  in  the 
highest  and  last-studied  department  of  medicine  — the  applica- 
tion of  remedies  to  the  cure  of  disease.  The  entire  course  of 
scientific  instruction  necessary  to  the  accomplished  physician  is 
the  basis  from  which  the  true  Homoeopath  must  wmrk  upward 
and  onward  in  his  noble  mission.  Hahnemann  stood  head  and 
shoulders  above  the  crowd  of  his  detractors.  Jean  Paul  Richter 
calls  him  ^^that  rare  double-head  of  genius  and  learning,’^  and 
so  he  was.  The  Germans  who  planted  the  new  system  on  this 
continent  — Hering,  Wesselhoeft,  Gram,  Haynel,  Pulte,  and 
others  — were  in  every  instance  gentlemen  of  extensive  and 
varied  erudition.  Their  first  American  disciples  — the  apostles 
of  the  school  in  our  different  cities  — were  in  most  cases  men 
of  superior  mental  endowments,  and  of  thorough  classical  and 
scientific  culture.  In  New  York  city,  for  example.  Gray, 
Wilson,  Channing,  Hull,  Curtis,  Bayard,  and  others  of  the 
early  Homoeopaths,  were  men  who  would  have  added  lustre  to 
any  of  the  medical  or  social  circles  in  London  or  Paris. 

In  the  second  place,  I was  precluded  from  feeling  the  least 
interest  in  the  social  or  scientific  status  of  Homoeopathy  by  a 
foregone  conclusion,  that  infinitesimal  doses  were  nothing  at  all 
— attenuated  far  beyond  the  possibility  of  any  material  power, 
and  that  Homoeopathy  was  therefore  a perfect  humbug.  True, 
I had  never  tried  them,  nor  would  I credit  the  evidence  of 
those  who  had.  Unless  I could  be  satisfactorily  convinced  of 
the  why  and  the  how  and  the  wherefore  of  the  phenomena,  I 
determined  to  deny  the  existence  of  the  phenomena  themselves. 
This  false  and  vicious  mode  of  reasoning  is  almost  universal. 
Nevertheless,  all  genuine  philosophers,  from  Bacon  and  John 
Hunter  to  Bartlett  and  Hugh  Miller,  tell  us  that  no  a priori 
reasonings  or  considerations  can  establish  either  the  truth  or 
falsity  of  alleged  facts.  Experiment  only  can  fairly  verify  or 


HOW  I BECAME  A HOMCEOPATH. 


11 


confute.  John  Hunter  used  to  say  to  his  class,  Don’t  think, 
but  try  ! ” yet,  in  relation  to  Homoeopathy,  people  think,  think, 
— instead  of  trying. 

It  is  very  convenient,  as  every  one  knows,  to  have  somebody 
else  to  try  for  us,  to  think  for  us,  to  look  for  us.  Well,  I . and 
all  other  orthodox  physicians  had  been  relieved  of  the  duty  of 
examining  Homoeopathy  by  M.  Andral,  one  of  the  greatest 
medical  men  in  France,  who  experimented  with  it  for  a long 
time  in  a Parisian  hospital.  He  tried  it  on  fifty-four  patients, 
and  published  the  treatment  and  the  results  in  a medical  jour- 
nal, which  were  of  course  republished  in  all  the  other  journals 
in  the  world.  Andral,  in  the  name  of  Allopathy,  gave  our 
poor  young  Homoeopathy  what  he  called  a fair  trial,  and  pro- 
nounced very  decidedly  against  it.  I heard  of  it ; every  Allo- 
pathic doctor  heard  of  it.  Andral  laid  Homoeopathy  on  the 
shelf : we  all  agreed  that  it  should  stay  on  the  shelf.  As  there 
are  some  old  Rip  Van  Winkles  who  still  believe  in  the  force 
and  justice  of  AndraPs  experiments,  knowing  nothing  of  them 
but  Andral’s  name,  I will  relate  a few  striking  facts  about  the 
famous  trial,  which  I gathered  from  the  British  Journal  of 
Homoeopathy,  where  the  whole  matter  is  thoroughly  sifted. 

The  trial  was  made  over  thirty  years  ago,  when  Homoeopathy 
was  in  its  infancy  — before  the  hypothetical  value  of  many  of 
its  remedies  had  been  verified  by  experience,  and  when  its 
treasury  was  not  half  so  rich  in  great  medicines  as  at  present. 

The  result  of  nineteen  of  the  fifty-four  cases  experimented 
on  is  not  reported  at  all.  Was  it  too  favorable  to  Homoeopathy 
for  publication? 

Three-fourths  of  the  cases  treated  were  of  a serious  chronic 
and  organic  character;  such  as  consumption,  gout,  hypertrophy 
of  the  heart,  amenorrhoea,  chronic  gastritis,  bronchitis,  etc.,  dis- 
eases requiring  a long  and  varied  course  of  treatment,  and 
very  frequently  not  curable  by  any  medication  whatever. 

Will  it  be  credited,  that  but  a single  dose  of  a Homoeopathic 
medicine  (all  high  dilutions)  was  given  to  each  of  these  cases, 
and  that  when  the  disease  was  not  cured  in  a few  days,  it  was 
handed  over  to  Allopathy,  and  a report  entered  unfavorable  to 
the  new  system  ? 


12 


HOW  I BECAME  A HOMCEOPATH. 


In  twenty-jive  out  of  the  thirty-jive  cases  reported  the  remedies 
were  not  at  all  Homoeopathic  to  the  diseases.  What  sensible  lay- 
man, practising  from  his  little  Domestic  Guide, would  not 
know  better  than  to  give  aconite  for  intermittent  fever,  arnica 
for  consumption,  hyosciamus  for  pleurisy,  chamomilla  for  diar- 
rhoea without  pain,  belladonna  for  bronchitis,  opium  for  uterine 
diseases,  etc.  ? Yet  these  are  the  prescriptions  made  at  random 
by  the  illustrious  Andral,  who  acknowledged  himself  unable 
to  read  German,  the  only  language  in  which  at  that  time  a 
book  existed  which  could  have  taught  him  how  to  use  the  above 
named  drugs  Homoeopathically.  Of  the  ten  cases  in  which  a 
tolerably  Homoeopathic  remedy  was  chosen,  seven  are  reported 
as  better  the  next  day. 

AndraPs  experimentation  was  simply  a farce,  disgraceful  to 
himself  and  his  school,  and  one  which  looks  like  a trick  of  the 
trade,  expressly  gotten  up  to  precipitate  a verdict  against 
Homoeopathy,  and  silence  in  future  the  questionings  of  the 
medical  mind  on  the  subject.  Of  all  this,  however,  I suspected 
nothing,  and  I went  on  practising  one  system  and  abusing  the 
other  with  an  easy  conscience.  But  I was  destined,  under 
Providence,  for  better  things  than  to  play  always  the  part  of 
the  blind  horse  in  a tread-mill. 

In  1849  we  were  visited  by  that  dreadful  scourge,  the  Asiatic 
cholera.  It  loomed  up  like  a black  cloud  in  the  East,  and 
moved  westward  with  frightful  rapidity,  spreading  sorrow  and 
death  in  its  mighty  shadow.  We  prepared  for  its  visitation  by 
earnest  thought  and  study.  We  mastered  the  opinions  and 
practice  of  those  who  had  witnessed  the  previous  epidemics. 
They  were  so  discordant  and  unsatisfactory  that  we  faced  the 
great  enemy  with  fearful  misgivings  of  our  power  to  contend 
with  him  successfully.  In  our  poor,  blind.  Allopathic  super- 
stition, that  diseases  are  to  be  cured  by  their  opposites,  we  ex- 
claimed, What  powerful  astringents  must  be  needed  for  such 
profuse  evacuations ! — what  sedatives  for  such  vomitings  ! — 
what  antispas  mod  ics  for  such  cramps  ! — what  opiates  for  such 
horrible  pains ! — what  heat-producing  remedies  for  such  deathly 
coldness ! — what  rapid  stimulants  for  such  fearful  prostration  ! 


HOW  I BECAME  A HOMCEOPATH. 


13 


— what  mighty  specifics  for  such  fatal  congestions ! ” Oh, 
the  bewildering  chaos  of  irrational  theories  and  disgusting 
polypharmacy ! 

So  we  went  to  work  with  all  the  resources  at  our  command. 
If  there  was  no  bile  secreted,  it  was  not  for  the  want  of  calo- 
mel; if  the  sufferings  of  the  poor  patients  were  not  mitigated, 
it  was  not  for  want  of  opiates ; if  they  sank  into  fatal  pros- 
tration, it  was  because  brandy  and  capsicum  and  ether,  and  a 
hundred  other  stimulants,  could  not  rally  them ; if  they  became 
cold  as  death,  it  was  because  mustard  plasters  and  blisters,  and 
frictions  and  burning  liniments,  and  steam  baths  and  hot  bricks, 
and  bottles  and  boiled  corn,  and  all  the  appliances  for  creating 
artificial  heat  from  without,  were  no  substitute  for  the  animal 
heat,  which  was  no  longer  generated  within.  The  theories  and 
practices  in  cholera,  as  innumerable  as  they  are  contradictory, 
reveal  in  the  strongest  light  the  fallacies,  the  absurdities,  the 
non  sequiturSj  the  monstrosities  of  Allopathic  philosophy. 
Future  ages  of  reason  and  truth  will  unquestionably  class 
them  all  with  the  old  negro’s  prescription  for  chronic  diarrhoea 

— Alum  and  rosin,  sir:  de  alum  to  fotch  de  parts  togedder, 
and  de  rosin  to  sodder  ’em  ! ” 

Very  many  cases  of  diarrhoea,  which  would  no  doubt  have 
become  cholera,  were  cured  by  repose,  diet,  and  simple  mix- 
tures, of  which  camphor  was  generally  an  ingredient.  But 
when  cholera  was  fully  developed  — when  there  was  vomiting 
and  rice-water  discharges,  and  cramps  and  cold  skin,  and  cold 
tongue  and  sinking  pulse  — our  success,  honestly  reported,  was 
poor  indeed.  Death  dogged  our  footsteps  wherever  we  went; 
nor  were  we  more  unfortunate  than  our  fellow  physicians. 
Amazing  paradox,  — I obtained  quite  a reputation  for  curing 
cholera ! Boasted  specifics  came  crowding  upon  us  from  the 
journals  and  papers,  and  by  rumor  and  tradition.  All  were 
tried,  and  all  failed.  Our  hearts  sank  within  us,  and  amid  the 
wailings  of  bereaved  friends,  and  in  the  streets,  black  with 
funeral  processions,  we  deplored  in  anguish  the  imbecility  of 
our  art.  My  honest  old  father  exclaimed  to  me  one  day  in  his 
office,  My  son,  we  had  as  well  give  our  patients  ice-water  as 


14 


HOW  I BECAME  A HOMCEOPATH. 


any  drug  in  the  Materia  Medica.  The  cases  which  get  well 
would  have  recovered  without  treatment.’^ 

This  candid,  truthful  outburst  of  an  experienced  and  strong- 
minded  Allopathic  physician  is  as  true  to-day  as  it  was  twenty- 
five  years  ago,  when  it  was  made.  The  Allopaths  have  done 
nothing  for  the  human  race  in  the  amelioration  of  this  terrible 
plague  — positively  nothing.  They  are  ready  to  deny  it  — to 
boast  over  again  of  calomel  and  laudanum,  to  declare  the 
cholera  to  be  as  curable  as  toothache  or  neuralgia  (which,  by 
the  way,  they  so  seldom  cure),  and  to  vaunt  their  philosoph- 
ical ” theories  and  rational  ” practice  in  the  very  face  of  death 
and  panic  and  depopulation.  Some  few  sturdy,  honest  think- 
ers amongst  them  will  occasionally  tell  the  truth.  Let  the 
young  Esculapian  who  carries  a little  apothecary’s  shop  in  his 
saddle-bags,  and  thinks  himself  ready  to  cure  every  case  of 
cholera,  read  the  following  extract  from  Aitken’s  Science  and 
Practice  of  Medicine,”  {Allopathy)  page  2441,  and  let  it  sink 
deep  into  his  soul,  for  sooner  or  later  he  will  see  and  feel  its 
truth : 

There  are  few  diseases  for  the  cure  of  which  so  many  dif- 
ferent remedies  and  modes  of  treatment  have  been  employed  as 
in  cholera,  and,  unfortunately,  without  our  discovering  any 
antidote  to  the  poison.  In  Moscow  it  is  said  that  twenty  dif- 
ferent modes  of  treatment  were  practised  at  different  hospitals, 
and  that  the  proportionate  number  of  deaths  was  the  same  in 
all.  In  the  same  city,  also,  it  is  supposed  that  the  mortality 
was  not  greater  among  those  destitute  of  medical  aid  than 
among  those  that  had  every  care  and  attention  shown  them.  It 
may  be  fairly  inferred,  therefore,  that  in  the  severer  forms  of 
this  disease  the  action  of  this  poison  is  so  potent  as  to  render 
the  constitution  insensible  to  the  influence  of  our  most  power- 
ful remedial  agents.” 

This  palpable  failure  of  Allopathy  (call  it  ‘^regular,  rational, 
scientific  medicine,”  if  you  choose)  in  a disease  in  which  the 
symptoms  are  so  striking  and  the  indications  of  treatment  so 
plain,  set  me  to  thinking,  and  I began  to  ask  myself  if  we  had 
not  over-estimated  its  real  value  and  importance  in  all  other 


HOW  I BECAM3!;  A HOMOEOPATH. 


15 


diseases.  I gradually  passed  into  a skeptical  phasis  of  mind. 
I became  quite  disgusted  with  the  practice  of  my  profession. 
I began  to  think,  with  Bichat  and  Rostan,  that  the  Materia 
Medica  was  a strange  medley  of  inexact  ideas,  puerile  obser- 
vation-s,  and  illusory  methods.  I admired  the  remark  of  the 
dying  Dumoulin,  that  he  left  the  two  greatest  physicians  behind 
him  — diet  and  water ; and  I echoed  in  my  private  cogitations 
the  exclamation  of  Frappart:  Medicine,  poor  science!  — 
doctors,  poor  philosophers  I — patients,  poor  victims ! ’’ 

I was  roused  from  this  state  of  disgust,  incredulity,  and  apa- 
thy in  the  fall  of  1849,  by  floating  rumors  of  the  successful 
treatment  of  cholera,  at  Cincinnati,  by  Homoeopathy.  First 
one  friend,  and  then  another,  echoed  these  marvellous  stories, 
professing  to  believe  them.  A letter  from  Rev.  B.  F.  Barrett, 
of  Cincinnati,  was  published  in  the  papers,  well  calculated  to 
excite  attention  and  inquiry.  Mr.  Barrett  (afterwards  a very 
kind  friend)  was  personally  known  to  me  as  a gentleman  of 
distinguished  worth  and  intelligence,  and  of  unquestionable 
integrity.  I knew* perfectly  well  that  if  human  testimony  is 
worth  anything  at  all,  Mr.  Barrett’s  testimony  was  to  be  be- 
lieved. 

Mr.  Barrett’s  statement  was  in  substance  this : He  had  one 
hundred  and  four  families  under  his  pastoral  charge.  Of  these, 
eighty-six  families,  numbering  four  hundred  and  seventy-six 
individuals,  used  and  exclusively  relied  upon  the  Homoeopathic 
treatment ; seventeen  families,  numbering  one  hundred  and  four 
individuals,  employed  the  old  system.  Among  the  former 
there  were  one  hundred  and  sixty  cases  of  cholera  and  one 
death ; among  the  latter  thirty  cases  and  five  deaths.  This 
amazing  difference  between  the  two  methods  was  supported  by 
the  assertion,  that  twenty  cases  of  cholera  occurred  in  the  iron 
foundry  of  Mr.  James  Root,  a respectable  member  of  his  con- 
gregation, all  of  which  were  Homoeopathically  treated,  without 
a single  death. 

About  the  same  time  Doctors  Pulte  and  Ehrmann,  of  Cin- 
cinnati, published  statistics  of  their  treatment  for  three  months. 
They  managed  eleven  hundred  and  sixteen  cases  of  cholera,  of 


16  HOW  I BECAME  A HOMOEOPATH. 

which  five  hundred  and  thirty-eight  cases  were  of  the  severe 
type ; from  sixty  to  seventy  collapsed,  with  thirty-five  deaths. 
They  gave  the  names,  dates  and  addresses  of  all  their  patients, 
so  that  the  facts  could  be  verified,  and  challenged  investigation 
and  comparison. 

Of  course  I knew  that  clergymen  and  aristocratic  ladies  had 
a very  great  penchant  for  Homoeopathy,  and  other  new  things, 
and  that  all  the  quacks  and  impostors  in  the  world,  as  well  as 
the  regulars,’^  appeal  to  statistics  to  support  their  pretensions. 
Still,  making  all  due  allowance  for  the  extravagance  of  enthu- 
siasm, credulity,  imagination,  and  predilection,  and  also  for 
errors  in  diagnosis  and  inaccuracies  of  detail,  there  was  enough 
residuum  of  solid  truth  in  all  this  to  bring  me  silently  to  the 
conclusion  — There’s  something  in  Homoeopathy,  and  it 
deserves  investigation.” 

When  I made  up  my  mind  to  give  Homoeopathy  a fair  trial, 
I did  it  in  the  right  manner.  I did  not  read  Professor  Simp- 
son’s big  book  against  it,  nor  Professor  Hooker’s  little  book 
against  it,  nor  yet  Professor  Holmes’  funny  prose  and  poetry 
against  it,  and  then  tell  my  friends  that  I had  studied  Homoe- 
opathy, and  found  nothing  in  it;  — that  is  one  very  common 
Allopathic  way  of  studying  Homoeopathy  from  the  Allopathic 
standpoint;  nor  did  I get  Hahnemann’s  works,  and  read  them 
with  my  old  pathological  spectacles,  and  decide  that  the  why 
and  the  how  and  the  wherefore  of  infinitesimals  were  all  incom- 
prehensible, and  that  Homoeopathy  was  a delusion;  — that’s 
another  Allopathic  way  of  studying  Homoeopathy,  almost  as 
absurd  as  the  first.  No;  I believed,  with  Hugh  Miller,  that 
scientific  questions  can  only  be  determined  experimentally,  never 
by  a priori  cogitations.  I got  a little  pocket  cholera  case,  con- 
taining six  little  vials  of  pellets  and  a printed  chart  of  directions. 
I determined  to  forget  all  that  I knew  for  the  time  being,  and 
to  obey  orders  under  the  new  regime,  with  the  unquestioning 
docility  of  a little  child.  I awaited  my  next  patient  like  a 
hunter  watching  for  a duck. 

I was  called  up  in  the  middle  of  the  night  to  see  a poor 
fellow,  said  to  be  dying  of  cholera,  on  a flat-boat  which  had  just 


HOW  I BECAME  A HOMCEOPATJJ. 


17 


landed.  I found  him  collapsed ; he  was  cold  and  blue,  with 
frequent  rice-water  discharges,  and  horribly  cramped.  His 
voice  was  husky,  pulse  feeble  and  fluttering;  he  was  tossing 
about  continually,  begging  his  comrades  to  rub  his  limbs.  I 
immediately  wrote  a prescription  for  pills  of  calomel,  morphine, 
and  capsicum,  and  dispatched  a messenger  to  a drug-store. 
This  was  to  be  my  reserve  corps  — ready  for  use  if  the  infini- 
tesimals failed.  I consulted  the  printed  direction : they  ordered 
cuprum  when  the  cramps  seemed  to  be  the  prominent  symptom. 
I dissolved  some  pellets  in  a tumbler  of  water,  and  gave  a tea- 
spoonful every  five  minutes.  I administered  the  simple  remedy, 
apparently  nothing,  with  incredulity  and  some  trepidation.  I 
have  no  right,’’  said  I to  myself,  ^Ho  trifle  with  this  man’s  life. 
If  he  is  not  better  when  the  pills  come,  I will  give  them  as 
rapidly  as  possible.” 

Oh  ! for  a strong  word  at  that  moment  from  James  John 
Garth  Wilkinson,  of  London,  or  a page  of  his  luminous  writings, 
which  coruscate  athwart  the  darkness  of  his  age  like  the  fire 
of  heaven  — Wilkinson,  whose  renown  is  such  that  Emerson 
declares  him  to  be  the  greatest  man  he  saw  in  Europe ! — 
(mark  you  — a Homoeopathic  doctor!)  — ^Hhe  Bacon  of  the 
nineteenth  century,”  whose  mind  has  a very  Atlantic  roll  of 
thought  I ” How  I could  have  been  encouraged  and  strength- 
ened by  such  a paragraph  as  this  from  his  War,  Cholera,  and 
the  Ministry  of  Health.” 

The  dimensions  of  power  are  not  weighed  by  scales,  or  told 
off  on  graduated  bottles,  but  reckoned  by  deeds  done.  When 
I am  called  to  an  inflammation,  I know  that  aconite  and  bella- 
donna in  billionths  of  a drop  are  a vast  healing  power,  because 
I have  cured,  and  daily  do  cure,  formidable  inflammations  in 
their  outset  by  these  means.  I look  upon  my  little  bottles  as 
giants  — as  words  that  shake  great  diseases  to  their  marrows, 
and  into  their  ashes,  and  rid  the  whole  man  of  a foe  life-size. 
Away,  then,  with  the  bigness  based  on  quantity,  and  which  sits 
like  a vulgar  bully  in  the  medical  shops.  Great  cures  determine 
the  only  greatness  which  sick  men  or  their  guardians  can  recog- 
nize in  medicine.” 

2 


18 


HOW  I BECAME  A HOMOEOPATH. 


The  messenger  had  gone  for  the  pills  a good  way  up  town. 
He  had  been  obliged  to  ring  a long  while  before  he  could  rouse 
the  sleeping  apothecary,  and  it  was  quite  three-quarters  of  an 
hour  before  he  rushed  on  the  boat  with  the  precious  Allopathic 
parcel.  My  patient  had  become  quiet ; his  cramps  had  disap- 
peared, and  he  was  thanking  me  in  his  hoarse  whisper  for  having 
relieved  him  of  such  atrocious  pains.  The  Allopathic  parcel 
was  laid  on  the  shelf.  I consulted  my  printed  directions  again. 
Verati'um  was  said  to  be  specific  against  the  rice-water  discharges 
and  cold  sweats,  which  still  continued.  I dissolved  a few  pellets 
of  veratrum^  and  ordered  a teaspoonful  every  ten  or  fifteen 
minutes,  unless  the  patient  was  asleep.  Before  I left  the  boat, 
however,  an  Allopathic  qualm  came  over  me,  sharp  as  a stitch 
in  the  side,  and  I left  orders  that  if  the  man  got  any  worse,  the 
pills  must  be  given  every  half  hour  till  relieved,  and  I might 
have  added  — or  dead. 

I retired  to  my  couch,  but  not  to  sleep ; like  Macbeth,  I had 
murdered  sleep  — at  least  for  one  night.  The  spirit  of  Allo- 
pathy, terrible  as  a night-mare,  came  down  fiercely  upon  me, 
and  would  not  let  me  rest.  What  right  had  I to  dose  that 
poor  fellow  with  Hahnemann’s  medicinal  moonshine,  when  his 
own  faith,  no  doubt,  was  pinned  to  calomel  and  opium,  and  all 
the  orthodox  pills,  potions,  poultices,  and  porridges ! I had 
not  told  him  that  I was  going  to  practise  Homoeopathy  on  him. 
His  apparent  relief  was  probably  only  a deceitful  calm.  Per- 
haps he  was  at  that  moment  sinking  beyond  all  hope,  owing  to 
my  guilty  trifling  with  human  life.  He  was  a drowning  man, 
calling  for  help,  and  I had  reached  him  only  a straw ! I was 
overwhelmed  with  strange  and  miserable  apprehensions.  I 
longed  for  the  morning  like  a sick  man,  for  I was  sick  in  con- 
science and  at  heart. 

I left  my  bed  of  thorns  at  daybreak,  and  hurried  to  the 
boat,  trembling  with  fear  lest  I should  find  the  subject  of  my 
rash  experiment  cold  and  dead.  He  was  in  a sweet  sleep.  The 
sweating  and  diarrhoea  had  disappeared,  and  a returning  warmth 
had  diffused  itself  over  his  skin.  He  was  out  of  danger;  and 
he  made  the  most  rapid  convalescence  that  I had  ever  witnessed 


HOW  I BECAME  A HOMCEOPATH. 


19 


after  cholera.  I was  delighted  : a burden  had  been  lifted  from 
my  heart  — a cloud  from  my  mind.  I began  to  believe  in 
Homoeopathy.  I felt  like  some  old  Jew  who  had  witnessed 
the  contest  between  Goliath  and  David.  How  amazed  he  must 
have  been  when  the  great  giant,  who  could  not  be  frightened 
by  swords  or  bludgeons  or  brazen  trumpets,  fell  before  the 
shepherd  boy,  armed  only  with  a little  pebble  from  the  brook  ! 

I remembered  my  case  of  croup,  which  Doctor  Bianchini  had 
cured  so  quickly,  and  I felt  like  giving  the  new  treatment  a 
little  more  credit  for  the  cure.  Let  not  my  reader  imagine, 
however,  that  I went  enthusiastically  into  the  study  and  practice 
of  Homoeopathy,  as  I ought  to  have  done.  No,  indeed!  — it 
was  two  long  years  of  doubting  and  blundering  before  I was 
willing  to  own  myself  a Homoeopathist.  We  may  be  startled 
into  admissions  by  brilliant  evidence  like  the  above,  but  we 
really  divest  ourselves  very  slowly  of  life-long  prejudices  and 
errors.  I have  cured  many  a man  with  infinitesimals,  and 
found  him  as  skeptical  as  ever.  I myself  witnessed  the  triumph 
of  these  preparations  in  scores,  yes,  hundreds  of  cases,  before 
my  mind  advanced  a step  beyond  its  starting-point — There 
is  something  in  Homoeopathy,  and  it  deserves  investigation.’’ 

My  father,  like  the  sensible  man  he  was,  did  not  sneer  or 
scoff  at  my  Homoeopathic  experiments : he  recognized  the 
partial  truth  of  the  principle  — Similia  similibus.^’  He  used 
to  say  that  he  had  too  frequently  cured  vomiting  with  small 
doses  of  ipecac,  and  bilious  diarrhoea  with  fractional  doses  of 
calomel,  to  question  the  fact,  that  a drug  in  minute  quantities 
might  relieve  the  very  symptom  which  it  produced  in  large 
ones.  He  came  in  one  day  from  a bad  (really  hopeless)  case 
of  cholera,  and  proposed  I should  try  my  cuprum  and  veratrum 
on  it.  The  poor  fellow  died,  and  quite  a damper  was  thrown 
on  my  young  enthusiasm.  We  expect  everything  — perfection, 
magic,  miracle  — from  a new  system.  Allopathy  may  fail 
whenever  it  pleases  — it  has  acquired  the  privilege  by  frequent 
exercise  of  it ; but  let  Homoeopathy  fail,  and  all  inquiry  ceases, 
until  something  forces  it  on  our  attention  again. 

When  I visited  Cincinnati,  soon  after,  I had  interviews  with 


20 


HOW  I BECAME  A HOMCEOPATH. 


Mr.  Barrett,  and  also  with  Dr.  N.  C.  Burnham,  the  first  Homoe- 
opathic physician  I ever  conversed  with,  and  obtained  much 
surprising  information  about  the  Homoeopathic  treatment  of 
cholera  and  other  diseases.  I supplied  myself  with  books  and 
medicines,  and  began  the  systematic  study  of  the  system.  I 
confess  I found  it  very  difficult,  and  even  repulsive,  with  the 
limited  material  at  our  command  at  that  time.  I discovered, 
however,  what  many  Allopathic  explorers  fail  to  discern,  that 
Homoeopathy  offers  us  the  only  medical  theory  which  professes 
to  be  supported  by  fixed  natural  law,  and  that  it  requires  thor- 
ough scientific  training  to  understand  it  properly,  or  to  prose- 
cute it  successfully.  I wonder  now  at  the  slow  reception  — the 
lazy,  frequently  interrupted  study  — the  apathy,  the  indiffer- 
ence of  that  period.  I would  sometimes  practise  Allopathically 
for  weeks  together,  and  only  think  of  Homoeopathy  in  obscure, 
difficult,  obstinate,  or  incurable  cases. 

Singular  injustice  is  perpetrated  against  Homoeopathy  every 
day  by  both  physicians  and  people.  The  Allopathic  incurables 
— the  epileptics,  the  paralytics,  the  consumptives,  the  old  gouty 
and  rheumatic,  and  asthmatic  and  scrofulous,  and  dropsical  and 
dyspeptic  patients  — come  to  the  Homoeopathic  doctor  for 
prompt,  brilliant  and  perfect  cures.  Failing  to  obtain  these 
after  a few  days’  or  a few  weeks’  trial,  they  go  away,  and  dis- 
seminate a distrust  of  the  value  of  Homoeopathic  medication. 
All  these  cases  are  treated  better  in  the  new  than  the  old  way. 
They  are  more  frequently  cured  — much  more  frequently  re- 
lieved ; they  live  longer,  with  less  pain  and  more  comfort. 
But  these  are  not  fair  test  cases  of  the  power  of  Homoeopathy. 
When  Allopathy  cleans  its  Augean  hospitals  of  all  such  oppro- 
bia  it  will  be  time  for  us  to  show  equal  omnipotence.  If  a man 
wishes  really  to  discover  what  Homoeopathy  can  accomplish,  let 
him  try  it  in  acute,  sharply  defined,  uncomplicated  diseases, 
such  as  cholera,  croup,  erysipelas,  pneumonia,  dysentery,  haemor- 
rhages, neuralgia,  and  the  various  forms  of  inflammation  and 
fever.  Having  settled  its  value  in  these  simpler  and  better 
understood  diseases,  he  can  advance  to  its  trial  in  the  more  com- 
plex, and  he  will  never  be  so  much  disappointed  as  to  be  will- 


HOW  I BECAME  A HOMOEOPATH. 


21 


ing  to  relapse  into  the  old  cobweb  theories  and  practices  of  the 
past. 

The  dysentery  followed  the  cholera  throughout  the  Western 
country.  I treated  many  cases  Homoeopathically,  and  with 
admirable  results.  I had  occasion  to  try  my  new  practice  on 
myself  in  this  painful  disease.  I persisted  in  the  use  of  my 
infinitesimals,  although  I suffered  severely ; and  my  father, 
becoming  impatient,  brought  me  a delicious  dose  of  calomel 
and  opium,  which  he  requested  me  to  take.  I declined  doing 
so,  on  the  ground  that  I ought  to  be  as  willing  to  experiment 
upon  myself  as  upon  others.  I made  a rapid  recovery.  I had 
not  then  become  as  zealous  a believer  as  a distinguished  legal 
friend  of  mine  in  Mississippi,  who  vowed  that  he  expected  and 
intended  to  live  and  to  die  under  Homoeopathy  — to  make  an 
easy  death  and  a decent  corpse.  I could  not  boast,  either  to 
myself  or  others,  of  the  special  superiority  of  Homoeopathy 
over  the  old  system  in  dysentery,  because  my  father’s  Allo- 
pathic practice  was  quite  as  successful  as  mine.  He  gave  very 
little  medicine,  and  dieted  very  strictly.  I insisted,  however,, 
and  I believe  correctly,  that  the  average  duration  and  severity 
of  the  disease  were  less  under  the  new  than  under  the  old  system. 

In  1850  I moved  to  Cincinnati,  and  entered  on  a wider  and 
more  stimulating  field  of  thought  and  action.  My  professional 
activities  were  sharpened  and  brightened ; and  yet,  strange  to 
say,  my  interest  in  Homoeopathy  waned  and  almost  expired. 
I had  the  books  and  medicines  in  my  office,  and  occasionally 
prescribed  according  to  the  similia  similibus but  my  studies, 
my  associates,  my  ambition,  and  my  general  practice  were  Allo- 
pathic. I kept  aloof  from  Homoeopathic  physicians.  I pro- 
fessed to  believe  that  Homoeopathy  had  some  indefinable  value, 
but  had  received  too  imperfect  and  obscure  development  as  yet 
to  be  trusted  at  the  bedside.  I wrote  my  first  medical  essay 
for  an  Allopathic  journal.  When  I reflect  on  this  course  of 
mine,  I am  not  surprised  that  a family  sometimes  uses  Homoe- 
opathy for  a while,  seems  very  much  pleased  with  it,  having 
every  reason  to  be  so,  and  then  quietly  glides  back,  under  the 
influence  of  personal  friendships  or  fashion,  into  the  old,. 


22 


HOW  I BECAME  A HOMCEOPATH. 


respectable,  well-regulated  dominions  of  calomel  and  Dover’s 
powder. 

Every  man  has  a magnetic  or  spiritual  sphere  emanating 
from  him,  which  tends  to  bring  others  into  rapport  with  him, 
and  so  impose  his  opinions  and  views  upon  them.  A society 
or  institution,  whether  a church,  a political  party,  or  a scientific 
school,  is  a large  sphere,  the  aggregation  of  the  individual  ones, 
which  has  a powerful  magnetic  quality,  binding  all  the  similar 
parts  in  strict  cohesion,  and  repelling  from  it  everything  dis- 
similar which  would  resist  its  bonds  or  question  its  authority. 
The  majority  of  men  are  unthinking,  and  they  are  drawn  and 
held,  like  little  particles  of  iron  about  a magnetic  centre,  uncon- 
scious of  their  slavery,  and  fondly  believing  themselves  capable 
of  independent  thought  and  action.  The  medical  profession  — 
a vast,  learned,  influential  and  intensely  respectable  ” body  — 
insensibly  exhales  from  itself  a sphere  of  dignity,  authority  and 
power  well  calculated  to  reduce  its  subordinates  to  a respectful 
submission. 

This  was  the  secret  of  my  vacillation  of  opinion.  My  hopes, 
my  aspirations,  my  friendships,  my  social  position,  were  all 
associated  with  the  old  medical  profession.  I was  again,  as  at 
Philadelphia,  in  the  charmed  atmosphere  of  colleges  and  jour- 
nals, and  hospitals  and  dispensaries,  and  medical  authors  and 
genial  professors.  I loved  the  books  of  the  Old  School ; I 
admired  its  teachers,  respected  their  learning,  and  coveted  their 
good  opinion.  To  array  myself  against  what  I so  much  hon- 
ored and  respected  — to  cut  loose  from  these  fashionable  and 
comfortable  moorings  — to  throw  myself  into  the  arms  of  those 
whom  I had  been  absurdly  taught  to  consider  as  less  respectable, 
less  scientific,  less  professional  than  myself  and  friends,  was  a 
task  difficult  to  accomplish.  The  discovery  and  the  accept- 
ance of  truth  are  alike  painful.  It  is  a continual  warfare  with 
one’s  self  and  the  world : it  is  a fight  in  which  defeat  is  moral 
death,  and  in  which  victory  brings  no  ovation.  My  inglorious 
repose  under  the  shadow  of  the  Allopathic  temple  was  suddenly 
broken  by  the  iron  hand  of  a better  destiny. 

In  the  spring  of  1851  I visited  an  uncle  in  the  extreme 


HOW  I BECAME  A HOMOEOPATH. 


23 


South.  I glided  along  on  the  swelling  bosom  of  the  great 
Mississippi,  whose  throb  was  communicated  through  countless 
tributaries  to  an  area  of  European  dimensions.  I enjoyed  the 
sunny  air,  the  delicious  perfumes,  and  the  boundless  luxuri- 
ance of  that  rich  climate,  which  blends  the  charms  and  beau- 
ties of  the  temperate  zone  with  those  of  the  tropics.  I threaded 
the  dingy  mazes  of  the  Red  River  far  upward  toward  its  source, 
and  hunted  wolves  and  wild  cats  in  the  forests  of  Texas.  I 
burst  the  thrall  of  books  and  parties  and  schools,  and  in  the 
vast  solitudes  of  nature  I inspired  a new  air,  a new  spirit,  a 
new  liberty. 

I was  returning  to  Cincinnati,  refreshed  and  invigorated  by 
my  excursion,  when  the  cholera  broke  out  among  the  German 
immigrants,  who  crowded  the  lower  deck  of  the  steamboat  on 
which  I had  taken  passage.  The  clerk  of  the  boat,  a personal 
friend,  came  to  me  and  told  me*  that  I was  the  only  physician 
on  board,  and  requested  my  assistance  for  these  poor  people. 
I was  surveying  the  medical  stores  in  the  large  brass-bound 
mahogany  chest  which  our  river  boats  always  keep,  when  the 
clerk  remarked  to  me,  Ah,  doctor,  I have  got  a better  medi- 
cine chest  than  that,  from  which  I select  remedies  for  such 
passengers  as  have  good  sense  enough  to  prefer  Homoeopathy  to 
Allopathy.’^  With  that  he  brought  out  a nice  little  Homoe- 
opathic box,  and  I determined  at  once  to  make  a grand  Homoe- 
opathic experiment  on  our  Teutonic  travellers.  I committed 
the  same  ethical  impropriety  which  saved  the  life  of  my  flat- 
boatman  ; but  I made  the  fact,  that  I had  no  confidence  in 
Allopathy  for  cholera,  and  the  wishes  of  the  officers  of  the 
boat,  my  excuse. 

We  put  every  new  case  on  tincture  of  camphor,  one  drop 
every  five  minutes  — enjoining  absolute  rest  and  strict  diet. 
The  fully  formed  cases  were  treated  with  cuprum,  veratrum  and 
arsenic,  according  to  the  symptoms.  Many  cases  of  cholerina 
were  immediately  arrested.  Thirteen  passed  into  fully  devel- 
oped cholera,  of  which  two  were  collapsed.  There  was  not  a 
single  death.  This  outburst  may  have  been  of  milder  type 
than  usual,  for  similar  epidemics  have  occurred  on  plantations, 


24 


HOW  I BECAME  A HOMCEOPATH. 


many  cases  with  inconsiderable  mortality.  I did  not  think  of 
that  or  know  it  at  the  time ; and  my  success  made  a powerful 
impression  on  my  mind  in  favor  of  Homoeopathy.  Two  Old- 
School  physicians  came  on  board  at  Memphis,  and  were  all 
suavity,  examining  my  cases  with  great  interest,  until  they 
learned  that  I was  practising  Homoeopathy  on  them,  when  they 
turned  up  their  noses  and  withdrew  to  a distance  quite  as  agree- 
able to  me  as  to  themselves. 

The  discovery  of  the  planet  Le  Verrier,  by  the  great  French 
astronomer,  is  often  adduced  as  one  of  the  most  splendid  tri- 
umphs of  human  genius.  No  eye  had  ever  seen  the  distant 
globe.  Le  Verrier  conceived  the  idea  that  a certain  pertur- 
bation in  the  movements  of  the  planets  could  be  accounted  for 
only  on  the  supposition  of  the  existence  of  another  planet,  of 
certain  dimensions,  occupying  a certain  orbit,  at  a certain  dis- 
tance beyond  all  the  others.  Powerful  instruments  were 
brought  to  bear  on  the  sidereal  spaces,  and  the  new  orb,  first 
discovered  by  the  mind,  was  revealed  to  the  eye.  The  only 
fact  in  history  which  matches  it  in  grandeur,  and  excels  it  in 
utility,  is  the  prediction  by  Hahnemann,  that  cainphor,  cuprum 
and  veratrum  would  be  found  the  best  remedies  for  cholera. 
No  European  physician  had  ever  seen  the  Asiatic  plague.  No 
experiments  had  been  made  — no  theories  tested.  Hahnemann, 
without  ever  seeing  a case  or  prescribing  for  a patient,  being 
guided  by  the  eternal  therapeutic  law,  which  he  had  discovered, 

Similia  similibus  curanturj’  predicts  the  successful  treatment 
as  confidently  as  he  would  have  directed  the  proper  course  of  a 
vessel  by  the  help  of  the  magnetic  needle. 

I returned  to  the  study  of  Homoeopathy  with  redoubled  zeal. 
I not  only  read  Hahnemann,  but  everything  I could  get  hold 
of  bearing  on  the  subject,  for  and  against.  I can  especially 
recommend  to  the  beginner  the  back  numbers  of  the  British 
Journal  of  Homoeopathy,  a splendid  monument  of  Homoe- 
opathic learning  and  talent,  still  flourishing,  in  its  thirty-second 
volume.  I also  proved  medicines  on  myself — aconitej  nux 
vomica,  digitalis,  platina,  podophyllin,  bromine,  natrum  muri- 
aticum,  and  eryngium  aquaticum,  and  became  convinced  experi' 


HOW  I BECAME  A HOMCEOPATH. 


26 


mentally  of  the  truth  of  those  Homoeopathic  teachings  about 
the  action  of  drugs,  which  are  revolutionizing  the  Materia 
Medica.  I sought  the  acquaintance  of  Homoeopathic  physi- 
cians, and  found  Doctors  Pulte,  Ehrmann,  Price,  Parks,  Gatch- 
ell,  Bigler,  and  others,  intelligent  and  cultivated  gentlemen  — 
the  equals,  morally,  intellectually,  and  socially,  of  their  bigoted 
and  ill-informed  traducers.  I began  also  to  practise  Homoe- 
opathically,  with  more  precision  and  success  than  before.  In- 
deed, I was  bursting  my  chrysalis  shell,  and  getting  ready  to 
soar  into  the  golden  auras  of  a better  philosophy. 

The  last  case  I treated  out  and  out  Allopathically  was  that 
of  a dear  friend,  a promising  young  lawyer.  He  charged  me 
especially  not  to  try  my  little  pills  on  him ; for  my  use  of 
Homoeopathy  was  getting  to  be  pretty  generally  known.  So  I 
treated  his  case,  typhoid  fever,  with  as  much  Allopathic  skill 
as  I could  display.  He  became  worse  and  worse.  I called  in 
the  distinguished  Doctor  Daniel  Drake  in  consultation,  and 
Professor  John  Bell,  of  Philadelphia,  then  filling  a chair  in  the 
Ohio  Medical  College,  was  added  to  the  list  of  medical  advisers. 
My  poor  friend  lived  six  or  seven  weeks  — his  constitution 
struggling,  like  a gallant  ship  in  a storm,  not  only  against  his 
disease,  but  against  the  remedies  devised  by  his  well-meaning 
doctors  for  his  restoration.  Modesty  of  course  demanded  that 
a young  man  like  myself  should  stand  silent  and  acquiescent  in 
the  presence  of  such  shining  lights  of  the  medical  profession. 
But  the  spirit  of  free  criticism  had  been  awakened  in  my  brain, 
and  I watched  the  ever-varying  prescriptions  they  made,  and 
the  shadowy  theories  upon  which  they  were  based,  with  mingled 
feelings  of  surprise,  incredulity,  and  pity.  I mean  no  disrespect 
to  these  eminent  and  excellent  gentlemen,  both  of  whom  treated 
me  with  the  most  genial  civility,  and  paid  me  social  visits  after 
my  formal  separation  from  the  Old-School  profession;  but 
having  seen  Allopathy  practised  in  a long  and  painful  case,  in 
the  best  manner  and  spirit,  by  its  best  representatives,  I deter- 
mined to  abjure  it,  as  a system^  forever. 

This  determination  was  arrived  at  by  the  contrast  between 
the  two  systems,  which  I was  now  enabled  to  make  by  my 


26 


HOW  I BECAME  A HOMCEOPATH. 


previous  study  and  practice  of  Homoeopathy.  A few  years 
earlier  I would  have  received  the  dicta  of  Doctors  Drake  and 
Bell  as  words  of  oracular  wisdom  — I would  have  taken  notes 
of  the  principles  and  practice  involved  in  the  case,  and  would 
have  thought  I had  gained  some  invaluable  knowledge  from 
these  consultations.  What  jargon  to  me  was  all  their  learned 
phrases  about  correcting  secretions,  equalizing  the  circulation, 
allaying  irritation,  obviating  congestion,  determining  to  the 
cuticle,  etc.,  and  all  their  various  means  and  measures  for  doing 
these  things,  when  I knew  that  bryonia  and  rhus,  in  very  small 
doses,  prevented  the  development  of  the  typhoid  condition,  for 
the  very  simple  reason  that  they  produced  it  in  large  ones  — 
every  drug  having  opposite  poles  of  action,  one  represented  by 
large  doses,  and  the  other  by  small ! How  useless,  and  even 
injurious,  were  their  opium  and  hyosciamus  and  lupulin,  etc., 
checking  secretion,  benumbing  sensibility,  obscuring  the  case, 
when  a few  pellets  of  coffea  would  have  produced  sleep  or 
quieted  irritability  ! And  then,  how  much  better  infinitesimal 
arsenic  or  mercurius  would  have  checked  that  obstinate  diarrhoea 
than  all  the  chalk  mixtures  and  astringents  in  the  Materia 
Medica ! And  so  of  every  feature  in  the  case.  The  fact  is, 
there  are  many  exceedingly  valuable  empirical  preparations  in 
Allopathy,  for  this,  that,  and  the  other  morbid  state  or  symp- 
toms ; but  the  general  mode  of  philosophizing  is  false,  vicious, 
and  irrational,  and  the  resulting  practice  frequently  destructive: 
therefore,  although  I might  continue  to  give  quinine  for  inter- 
mittents,  bismuth  for  gastralgia,  etc.,  still,  as  I discarded  all 
the  Allopathic  theories,  and  nine-tenths  of  their  practice,  having 
a better  system,  thoroughly  practical,  safe,  prompt,  pleasant, 
and  efficacious,  I could  no  longer  call  myself,  or  consent  to  be 
called,  an  Allopathic  physician. 

Now  arose  a delicate  and  difficult  question.  If  you  believe 
that  Homoeopathy  is  merely  a reform  in  the  highest  sphere  of 
medical  science  — that  all  scientific  culture  is  preliminary, 
necessary,  and  adjuvant  to  it  — if  you  intend  retaining  many 
of  the  best  Old-School  empirical  prescriptions,  because  your 
new  system,  although  magnificent  as  far  as  it  goes,  is  still 


HOW  I BECAME  A HOMOEOPATH. 


27 


imperfect,  — why  do  you  cut  yourself  oiF  from  your  old  friends 
and  associates,  and  assist  in  founding  a new  and  antagonistic 
School  of  Medicine,  instead  of  infusing  the  spirit  of  your  reform 
into  the  old  one ? Ah!  but  could  I have  done  this  noble  work? 
Could  I have  taught  the  power  of  infinitesimals,  and  have 
reported  ray  Homoeopathic  cures  in  the  established  journals  of 
medicine?  Of  course  not.  That  failing,  could  I have  written 
books  on  Homoeopathy,  contributed  articles  to  Homoeopathic 
journals,  consulted  with  Homoeopathic  physicians,  and  have 
remained  in  good  standing  and  loving  fellowship  with  the 
intolerant  members  of  the  Medico-Chirurgical  Society?  Of 
course  not.  My  dignity,  self-respect,  candor,  honesty,  and 
spirit  of  independence,  all  demanded  that  I should  send  in  my 
resignation  to  that  Society,  as  to  a party  of  gentlemen  to  whom 
my  opinions  and  practice  iiaa  becume  obnoxious. 

I have  now  been  a Homoeopath  for  twenty-four  years.  I 
have  practised  it  in  all  our  Southern  diseases  for  twenty-two 
years.  Having  studied  both  sincerely,  I can  contrast  the  two 
systems  correctly.  In  all  acute  diseases,  from  the  worst  of 
them,  cholera  and  yellow  fever,  to  the  earache  or  a cold  in  the 
head,  Homoeopathy  cures  more  frequently,  promptly,  and  per- 
fectly. In  the  chronic  and  organic  diseases  it  sometimes  achieves 
brilliant  results;  but  in  some  obscure,  complicated,  or  incurable 
cases,  we  have  still  occasionally  to  borrow  the  empirical  crutches 
of  Allopathy,  for  which  we  are  sincerely  grateful.  Having  been 
true  to  myself  and  my  conscience,  and,  as  I firmly  believe,  to 
science  and  humanity,  I have  so  long  ignored  the  scoffs,  the 
taunts,  the  base  insinuations  of  some  of  my  old  confreres,  that 
I have  almost  forgotten  they  ever  existed.  Homoeopathy  enjoys 
a steady,  beautiful,  perpetual  growth,  although  the  London 
Lancet  still  vomits  its  falsehood  and  slander,  like  the  great 
flood  of  water  which  the  dragon  ejected  after  the  woman  in  the 
Apocalypse. 

Homoeopathy  is  not  becoming  more  Allopathic,  as  some 
suppose,  because  the  new  converts  who  are  crowding  into  our 
School  retain  more  or  less  of  their  old  opinions  and  practice. 
The  genuine  Hahneraannian  spirit  — the  spirit  of  similia  in 


28 


HOW  I BECAME  A HOMCEOPATH. 


theory  and  infinitesimals  in  practice  — was  never  more  vital  or 
progressive.  It  is  the  hope  of  our  medical  future  — the  guiding 
star  of  investigation  — the  pivot  of  truth. 

As  to  our  professional  assailants — the  Simpsons,  the  Hookers, 
and*  Holmeses  of  the  day,  and  those  who  echo  their  oft-refuted 
statements,  as  they  understand  Homoeopathy  about  as  well  as 
the  prosy  old  Dane  did  the  character  of  Hamlet  — we  toss  them 
the  line  of  the  poet  — 


“And  you,  oh,  Polonius I you  vex  me  but  slightly  1*' 


tB£  SNP. 


Homoeopathic  Books 

AND 

How  to  Study  Homoeopathy. 


To  any  one  wishing  to  look  into  Homoeopathy,  i.  e.,  into  its 
theory  or  fundamentals,  the  book  to  purchase  is  Hahnemann’s 
Organon.  (244  pages.  8vo.  Cloth,  $1.75.  Sent  by  mail  on  re- 
ceipt of  price.) 

It  is  a book  that  has  wrought  a greater  change  in  this  world 
than  any  other  book  of  purely  human  origin.  It  has  wrought  a 
mighty  but  bloodless  revolution,  and  the  revolutionary  forces  it  let 
loose  are  still  growing,  deepening  and  widening  in  all  directions. 
It  is  a book  that  small  men  have  looked  to  see  drop  into  oblivion, 
but  it  treads  on  down  the  century,  a giant  among  pygmies,  and  to-day 
looms  far  above  any  other  book  of  the  faith.  As  one  reads  its 
pages,  ever  and  anon  the  feeling  comes  over  him  that  Hahnemann 
instinctively  feels  that  he  is  not  the  author  but  the  messenger  of  the 
great  tidings — that  his  message  is  from  a greater  than  he.  He  does 
not  claim  this,  but,  at  times,  when  dwelling  on  the  deep  truth  he  is 
singularly  reverent  and  humble  ; there  is  no  arrogance  or  assump- 
tion of  “ my  discovery,”  but  “ God  mercifully  permitted  homoeopathy 
to  be  discovered.”  It  is  the  spirit  of  a truly  great  mind. 

Yet  though  so  humble  and  reverent  in  the  face  of  truth,  think 
not  that  this  spirit  is  the  sole  one  of  the  book.  No  indeed  ! When 
he  turns  on  the  dominant  and  domiueering  medicine  of  the  time 
we  see  the  same  spirit  blaze  forth  that  must  have  animated  his 
racial  ancestors  when  they  swept  down  and  over  the  corrupt  Roman 
Empire.  It  is  war,  war  to  the  knife,  and  the  knife  to  the  hilt. 

The  fifth  American  edition  is  the  latest,  and  admittedly  the 
best,  translation  of  Hahnemann’s  ponderous  periods.  “ Each  para- 
graph of  the  Organon  generally  consists  of  a single  uninterrupted 
sentence,”  says  Dr.  Wesselhoeft,  “which,  like  a ponderous  block  of 
stone,  hewn  and  sculptured  by  the  skill  of  an  artisan,  seems  to  have 
been  lifted  with  Titan  power  to  fill  its  place  and  purposes  in  the 
structure.”  The  book  opens  with  Hahnemann’s  preface  to  the  fifth 


German  edition,  written  at  Kothen,  and  dated  March  28,  1833. 
Following  this  is  the  translator’s  preface  and  the  exhaustive  table 
of  contents.  After  this  follows  “ A Keview  of  ‘ Physic  ’ as  hitherto 
practiced,  Allopathy,  and  Palliative  Cure  of  the  Old  School  of  Medi- 
cine.” In  it  Hahnemann  is  the  iconoclast ; he  is  familiar  with  all 
parts  of  the  old  structure,  and  he  smashes  the  ancient  idols  with  his 
iron  mace  and  spares  not — spares  none.  It  is  Homeric  war — no 
quarter  asked  nor  none  given.  The  militant  section  of  the  book  is 
followed  with  exhaustive  notes  by  Hahnemann.  Then  comes  the 
Organon  of  the  Art  of  Healing.*  The  ground  was  cleared  be- 
fore, and  here  we  have  Hahnemann,  the  philosopher,  expounding 
the  newly-discovered,  or  we  almost  feel  revealed,  truth.  Here  the 
spirit  is  calm  and  lofty.  Here  we  listen  to  Hahnemann  the  teacher. 
He  does  not  teach  us  materia  medica  or  therapeutics,  but  the  foun- 
dation principles  of  homoeopathy,  without  which  the  homoeopath  is 
poor  indeed,  no  matter  how  scientific  he  may  feel,  and  rich  he  be  in 
microbe  lore ; he  is  minus  a working  plan  ; he  is  in  Pope’s  “mighty 
maze,”  and  is  without  a plan.  Notes  on  the  Organon  follow,  then 
a short  appendix  on  mesmerism,  and  the  book  concludes  with  14* 
pages  of  index.  It  is,  in  short,  a wonderful  book,  that  every  physi- 
cian and  layman  should  study. 

A good  book  to  follow  the  Organon  is  Carroll  Dunham’s 
Homceopathy,  the  Science  of  Therapeutics.  (529  pages.  8vo.  Cloth, 
$3.00.  Half  Morocco,  $4.00.  Sent  by  mail  on  receipt  of  price.) 

It  is  a charming  book  of  essays,  the  first  one  of  which  gives  the 
book  its  title.  It  is  not  disputatious,  but  calm  and  convincing.  Its 
author  was  an  old-school  physician,  a brilliant  and  highly  educated 
one,  who  passed  from  the  shade  of  Allopathy  to  the  sunlight  of 
Homoeopathy,  led  to  some  extent,  perhaps,  by  the  fact  that  his  life 
had  been  saved  by  Homoeopathy.  He  had  blood-poisoning,  from 
dissection,  and  the  physicians  of  one  of  the  leading  hospitals  in 
Europe  assured  him  that  death  was  inevitable.  A Homoeopathic 
physician  then  took  the  case  and  cured  it  with  that  grand  Homoeo- 
pathic remedy  for  blood  poisoning,  Lacheses.  This  book  is  a good 
step  towards  the  study  of  Materia  Medica — the  grhat,  strong  tower  of 
Homoeopathy. 

There  are  numerous  works  on  the  study  of  Materia  Medica,  too 
many  to  mention  here.  Assuming  that  the  reader  is  not  familiar 
with  Homoeopathy  and  its  terms  it  may  be  proper  to  state  here  that 
the  Homoeopathic  Materia  Medica  is  simply  a record  of  the  symptoms, 
caused  by  the  various  drugs  when  taken  by  i\\Q  j)r overs,  i.  e.,  men 
and  women  who,  in  a state  of  health,  deliberately  took  doses  of  the 
drug  until  their  poison  effects  were  developed.  Now  when  a case  of 


disease  presents  itself  it  is  the  duty  of  the  prescriber,  by  the  Homoeo- 
pathic law,  to  accurately  take  all  the  symptoms  of  the  disease,  and 
then  search  the  Materia  Medica  for  the  drug  that  presents  similar 
symptoms.  When  it  is  found  and  small  doses  of  the  potentized  or 
triturated  remedy  administered,  a cure  will  almost  surely  follow. 

Among  the  best  of  the  larger  of  these  works  is  Allen’s  Handbook 
of  Materia  Medica  and  Homoeopathic  Therapeutics.  (Quarto.  1165 
pages.  Half  Morocco,  $15.00.)  This  book  not  only  gives  the  symp- 
tomatology of  the  drugs,  but  the  leading  clinical  uses  of  each. 

Another  excellent  work,  but  much  smaller,  is  Allen’s  Primer 
of  Materia  Medica.  (411  pages.  8vo.  Cloth,  $2.50.  Half  Morocco, 
$3.50.)  This  covers  about  the  same  range  of  drugs  as  the  Hand- 
book, but  in  a more  condensed  form. 

Another  good  little  work  is  Breyfogle’s  Epitome  of  Homoeopathic 
Medicine.  (383  pages.  18mo.  Cloth,  $1.25.) 

Another  is  Cleveland’s  Salient  Materia  Medica  and  Therapeu- 
tics. (171  pages.  12mo.  Cloth,  $1.25.) 

In  both  of  the  last-named  works  the  Materia  Medica  will  be 
found  reduced  to  its  smallest  compass. 

The  student  will  not  have  gone  very  far  in  Materia  Medica 
before  he  will  have  discovered  the  need  of  the  Repertory.  Now  a 
Repertory  is  an  index  to  symptoms — not  by  page  but  by  drugs. 
Take,  for  instance,  the  symptom  “black  vomit;”  the  Repertory  be- 
fore us  gives  fifteen  remedies  after  the  symptom.  One  of  them  is 
probably  the  remedy.  But  which  ? In  a patient  with  black  vomit 
other  symptoms  will  necessarily  occur  ; look  these  up  and  gradually 
the  remedies  will  be  eliminated  until  one  remains,  and  that  is  the 
remedy  to  cure  the  patient. 

There  are  many  Repertories  for  special  cases  of  disease,  such 
as  diarrhoea,  intermittent  fever,  etc.,  but  there  are  two  which  cover 
the  whole  range.  The  largest  of  these  is  Allen’s  Qeneral  Symptom 
Register.  (1331  pages.  Large  8vo.  Half  Morocco,  $14.00.)  The 
next  is  Boenninghausen’s  Therapeutic  Pocket-Book.  (484  pages. 
16mo.  Flexible  Morocco.  $4.00.)  It  may  be  added  that  to  use 
books  of  this  sort  considerable  study  of  the  book  in  question  is 
needed.  There  is  so  much  in  them  that  the  practitioner  must  learn 
the  run  of  them  by  frequently  going  through  their  pages.  Each 
excursion  will  make  the  next  easier. 

Among  the  many  books  for  family  practice — books  that  have 
done  so  much  for  the  spread  of  Homoeopathy  by  demonstrating  at 
the  sick  bed  the  ea^e  with  which  even  the  unprofessional  can  cure 
disease — we  have  room  to  mention  but  three. 

The  Laurie  & McClaLchey  Homoeopathic  Domestic  Medicine. 


(1044  pages.  8vo.  Half  Morocco,  $5.00.)  This  book  is  as  complete 
a guide  to  Homoeopathic  Practice  as  may  be  found — containing 
Therapeutics,  Materia  Medica  and  Repertory.  Physicians  can  use 
it  with  great  advantage  in  lieu  of  larger  works. 

Johnson’s  Guide  to  Homoeopathic  Practice.  (494  pages.  8vo. 
Cloth,  $2.00.)  A most  popular  and  easily  comprehended  work.  It 
has  been  sold  by  the  tens  of  thousands. 

Ruddock’s  Stepping-Stone  to  Homoeopathy  and  Health,  New 
American  edition  by  Dr.  Wm.  Boericke.  (256  pages.  12mo.  Cloth, 
$1.00.)  A very  complete  book,  suitable  for  travelers  or  individuals. 


Homoeopathic  Medicines  may  be  had  at  any  of  our  pharmacies, 
or  may  be  ordered  by  mail.  Our  Descriptive  Book  Catalogue 
is  mailed  free  on  request ; it  fully  describes  all  of  the  leading 
Homoeopathic  books. 


BOERICKE  & TAFEL, 

HomcBopath/c  Pharmacists,  Importers  and  Publishers, 

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BUSINESS  ESTABLISHED  IN  1835. 


